


the sunrise saturated

by Kugawing



Series: stick figure shipping hours [2]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mute Henry Stickmin, Toppat King Ending | TK (Henry Stickmin), can't have toppat henry without a kidnapped charles, ellie is cool with it, ellie: this is my boyfriend henry and his boyfriend charles, polyromantic henry, reg and rhm are not the romantic focus, the author knows nothing about asl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26374396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kugawing/pseuds/Kugawing
Summary: A Toppat leader as successful as Henry shouldn't be down in the dumps. With a little bit of help, Ellie figures that as Right Hand Lady she has every right to intervene - even if it means a little kidnapping.
Relationships: Henry Stickmin/Charles Calvin/Ellie Rose, Reginald Copperbottom/Right Hand Man
Series: stick figure shipping hours [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914718
Comments: 10
Kudos: 222





	the sunrise saturated

The latest heist had been a success. Cheers and bubbly behavior were all about the space station. The new leader of the Toppats, Henry Stickmin, sat amidst the crowd. If the other Toppat's words were anything to go by, having their leader personally attend a mission was a new change of pace. Reginold had apparently always relied on others to get the job done beforehand. The leader before him simply had awful planning. Ellie wasn't sure about the other leaders prior to Terrence and Reginold, but the response to Henry's reign seemed to be overwhelmingly positive.

"Hey, Henry, you're just kinda sitting and not doing too much," his fellow convict said, sliding over to take a seat next to him. Henry's gaze lifted, meeting hers briefly before falling back to the table. "C'mon, you can't be glum right now! We just stole the priceless Norwegian emerald. Not shiny enough for you?" Ellie chuckled and gave the other a nudge.

As the new Right Hand Lady, she had Right Hand Man to go to for advice. His real name? Ellie wasn't sure, but the person closest to him never addressed him by another title. Apparently Ellie was not the only one who had noticed a slow descent into the slumps from the Toppat clan's latest leader. If she looked behind her, she saw the two sitting alone at a booth, Reginald's face in a paper and Right Hand man sipping some drink. No help from them, too busy with their own internal antics. Her gaze turned back to Henry, a garbled sigh coming from him. In all her time of knowing him, not once had she heard him speak. A bit odd, but she figured he was effective without words as he was with them.

Grabbing one of Henry's hands and tugging, Ellie cleared her throat. "Seems like somebody is a bit tired after such a stunning heist. Let's get you to bed. C'mon." Sure, Ellie had to practically drag the other along, taking him to his room. Sure, the two were practically a thing - apparently being called the Right Hand of the latest Toppat leader had practically been a declaration of dating - but that didn't mean that they shared a room. Ellie was fine with that. The room next door was more her style anyways, and their styles of interior design clashed fiercely.

' _Thank you_.' Henry signed to Ellie as he sat down on the bed. His head remained downward, hands hanging in the air. ' _Should be more excited. Sorry._ ' More signs, slow enough for Ellie to comprehend. Ellie wasn't exactly great at understanding the other's sign, especially since Henry himself didn't use it correctly. Had to learn on his own after whatever incident it was that left his voice stuck to creaks and groans and huffs.

Ellie shook her head. "It's been a long day. You need to rest. And we've got papers to do in the morning, especially about people not locking the doors to the armory. I'll snag some food from the party for you to eat." When Henry nodded his head and clambered fully into bed, Ellie turned to stalk back to the party. It had gotten louder in the near half hour she'd been gone, hadn't it? She tugs the edge of her hat as the Right Hand Lady moved over to the table of the last leader and his own right hand.

"Eh?" Reginal lifted his head from the newspaper, tipping back his top hat. "Why, Ellie! Come, sit down." The old leader of the Toppat clan scooted to the side, making room for the latest Right Hand. Her gaze turned to the newspaper, and couldn't help a small snort at the picture on the front page.

"They really couldn't get a more flattering image of you two?" The picture was absolutely hilarious. Top of the line comedy of Reginald and his Right Hand Man charging blindly through government forces. It was the kind of freeze frame one would see in an old cartoon, if Ellie were honest.

The Right Hand man chuckled, rolling his remaining organic eye. "Aye, they did get my good side at least." He pointed to where he was located in the image. It still wasn't that flattering in all honesty, and the headline had a typo. She couldn't stifle another snort, looking back at Reginald. "He ain't too happy about his name getting misspelt."

"How on _earth_ did they forget that it's spelt with an 'a' instead of an 'o'? It's absolutely atrocious!" The former leader sputtered, gesturing wildly with a hand. Soon his demeanor was calmed, and he cleared his throat. "Ahem. Sorry about that. Not very punctual of me to get upset over something so petty." He adjusted one of his gloves, setting the newspaper down on the table. "Where's Henry? I could have swore I saw him in here just a few minutes ago."

Ellie clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "That's what I came here to talk to you two about." Right Hand Man took one last sip of his drink, and pushed it to the end of the table for someone else to collect. Or knock over, she thought as she heard a sharp crash from elsewhere in the kitchen. A slight wince, but her mind turned back to the task at hand. "You two knew Henry before he was locked up with me at the Wall. He seems to be pretty down about something, and I can't figure out what." She also couldn't figure out how in the world Reginald already had a newspaper about their latest heist. It hadn't even been a day!

A mechanical hum came from Right Hand Man. He turned over his shoulder, looking to see where the nearest Toppat was. He waved them over, then pointed to the empty cup. The Toppat member stumbled off with the cup, and the hum turned to a sigh as he realized he likely just picked the drunkest Toppat in the room. "I think I might have an idea," Reginald said, tapping a finger against the table. "You see, back when Henry had just became the leader of the Toppat clan, there was this helicopter always chasing the airship around."

"Same helicopter that brought him on the airship in the first place," Right Hand Man interjected, a hand reaching for his cup before realizing that it had already been taken. "That pilot's been at almost every single heist that Henry's been on. Don't know his name, but he seems pretty active. Wasn't at the last couple, not sure why."

While she thought, Ellie tucked some of her scarlet hair under her top hat. Slowly putting pieces together, resting her elbows on the table. "A simple government pilot not being present is an odd reason to make Henry upset. Perhaps the absence of a worthy adversary has him down?" A hum, Reginald adjusting his coat. "Kind of odd."

"You're the same person," Right Hand Man immediately began, leaning across the table, "that just about had a heart attack when your favorite fencing partner had a cold and couldn't duel." His head turned to Ellie, jabbing a thumb at the Toppat clan's previous leader. "Toppat leaders are weird in their own right. That's why they have Right Hands to keep them running. Snagging that pilot's worth a shot. If you need me, give me a call."

"I did _not_ have a heart attack over Fillis Grunstle having a cold!" Reginald insisted while Ellie slid from the seat, giving them a wave of farewell.

Planning a heist overnight was a bit of a struggle. Normally it was Henry who combed through the plans of other Toppat members, and Ellie would sit and sharpen his pencils as he managed to plan for the most absurd circumstances. It came in handy, having a leader with foresight. Actual foresight, tangible if Henry's own signs were anything to go by. As his right hand, he had finally enough confidence to confide in her about it. It was a bit of a head scratcher, but she supposed that if this surprise would go off without a hitch then she'd have to use good old process.

Since she was the Right Hand Lady, no further process was needed. She could approve her own heist, assemble her team, and get rolling. One night, they had a solid twelve hours. Maybe more if Henry slept in, but Ellie doubted it. Beaming down to the planet's surface was such a time save. She'd even managed to get the Right Hand Man on board to beam them back up if things were risky.

But really, what was more dangerous for a Toppat raid than on a government complex. The group of thieves stalked towards where the military's flight capable vehicles were kept. The buildings nearby were likely a good bet for where to begin searching for the pilot. As the group sneaked through the compound, Ellie realized that they didn't have a good description for who they were even looking for. Dedicated, but how could one tell a dedicated pilot from a normal one?

Snatching someone who was literally sleeping in the cockpit was a good bet. The headphone wearing pilot slung over her shoulder, she waved a hand to the Toppats standing guard at the door. She double checked to make sure that the tranquilizing mask was still around the other's head and headset. Snapping off the mouth piece was needed, and the Toppats retreated with their haul.

Two successful heists in twenty four hours? Henry's reign as the Toppat's leader couldn't get any better!

* * *

"Hey Henry," Ellie's voice came from the doorway, prompting for Henry to slap his top hat onto his head, "I got a surprise for you. And some good news. The tranquilizer mask that you wanted work on? It works!" The other still looked pretty glum, top hat crooked and expression still riddled with sleep. Ellie honestly had been surprised with how late the other had slept in. Normally he was the morning person, and she was the night owl. An all nighter last night made any time seem later than normal, she supposed. She moved into the room, a hand extending to lead Henry along.

The leader of the Toppats pauses before taking her hand. Ellie pulled Henry to his feet, watching the other slightly stumble. He hadn't even changed from his fancy and regal attire, and his right hand couldn't help but wince. That could not be comfortable to sleep in by any means. Ellie was also tired, but the thrill of surprise filled her veins. ' _Two topics hand in hand?_ " Henry asked, having to release Ellie's hand so that he could properly sign out his inquiry. He sighed when Ellie gave him no answer other than a wink and a chuckle.

The hallways of the space station were quite luxurious. Ellie found herself constantly amazed by the architecture and design of the place. Sure, everything being incredibly fancy and 'gentlemanly' meant that getting around tended to be rather tedious. Henry apparently didn't mind; she was fairly certain he'd been overwhelmed with joy by a functioning door system that didn't jam and crash at every given opportunity. Down a set of stairs and to the brig, and she smiled at the broken gasp that came from Henry. In the cell before the duo was Charles Calvin, a pilot recognizable by his vibrant red headset. "Surprise! We went and tracked down a government pilot for you!"

The prisoner's eyes widened, and a muffled noise came from behind the wrapping that went around his head. Hands were bound as well, to ensure that the other wouldn't be able to escape. Henry was over at the cell's bars in an instant, flashing out signs as fast as possible. Charles' eyes squinted, standing up and moving closer to the bars himself. It was a struggle to stand up with his hands bound, but the pilot managed. When Charles stopped moving, Henry reached through the bars and lowered the cloth that had kept him silent. "Henry, what, how," Charles began to stammer.

"I've already told you the 'how'." Ellie turned to Henry, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We went down and grabbed him using that new tranquilizer mask. You've been so down lately, I couldn't just stand and watch!" She paused, leaning against the bars of the cage. "Hope this is the right guy, he seems to know your name. Pretty good sign, if I do say so myself."

' _Roommates,_ ' Henry began to sign. ' _Me and Charles were roommates before I stole Tunisian diamond. Boyfriends._ ' His head lowered a little, eyes shielded by his top hat. The last word was signed with a bit of a shake. Ellie kept her hand on the other's shoulder, gently tapping against the other's coat in a way that she figured to be comforting. ' _Boyfriend roommates,_ ' he began to sign on loop, trembling furiously.

That left Ellie in a bit of an odd situation, didn't it. She was Henry's girlfriend, was she not? And behind bars was the other's boyfriend. Her free hand pushed some of her hair underneath her top hat. That didn't matter right now, seeing as Henry seemed to be absolutely spiraling - yet grinning? Odd, Henry was always odd, and this seemed to just be further in the other's unique realm of being. "I didn't catch half of that," Charles said, before glancing down at his hands. "But. Um. I guess it's kind of good to see you again. Didn't get much of a chance during or after that airship incident." He rolled his neck, adjusting his jaw in a way that the bindings had kept him from doing. "So this is the Toppat space station, huh."

Henry turned back to the prison bars, moving a bit closer. Finally, the Toppat leader had stopped trembling, and she lowered her hand from the other's shoulder. ' _Should join us. Could be together again. Triple threat, three, all together,_ ' he said, the middle of his signing interrupted by his thumb gesturing towards Ellie. ' _Place for you here. Best pilot. Need you, make sure you're safe, no harm here_.' A pause, lifting both of his hands, before beginning to sign again. ' _Have two hands_.'

"Henry, my loyalty is to the government," Charles replied as he took a small step back. Henry's expression contorted, and Ellie was pretty sure the trembling had begun once again. "I love you, I do, but I can't put my work on the line for, for this."

' _Can get you fanciest hat ever wanted,_ ' Henry began to sign, his weight shifting forward. ' _Everything you want. Everything for you._ '

Ellie reached forward, grabbing the leader's hand. "And some of the finest aircraft to ever be piloted." Two hands, right, Henry did have two. She was already his Right Hand Lady, and she glanced down to grab the other's right hand. Henry squeezed harshly, although it did seem to ease the other's shaking a little. Never before had Ellie thought about sharing a boyfriend before. She already lived life on the crazy side, being the second highest member in the clan, wanted across the world, and living in space. Sharing a boyfriend was probably the most _sane_ thing to come out of her life as of late.

A sniffle brought her from her thoughts, Charles raising an arm to rub a cheek. A little bit flushed, but doing his best to retain a strong and firm face. "I'll think about it." It was somewhat an answer, enough to earn a nod from Henry. He kept Ellie's hand in his own as he left the brig, boots scraping against the ground.

After they rounded the corner, Henry brought Ellie into a hug. "Hey, hey," Ellie began to say, hearing small choked sobs come from the other. "We'll convince him, don't worry."

' _You're okay with this?_ ' The sign was hard to read, as Henry had barely released the hug enough to be able to move his hands around to properly form the words. Ellie reached up with a hand of her own, gently moving the other's top hat back on his head. ' _Okay with me and Charles and you and me?_ '

Ellie laughed, giving Henry a rough shove to the shoulder. A good way to show affection among rougher thieves, she supposed. That hug had entirely blindsided her. "This? This is the most calm thing to happen to me in _months_. C'mon, let's start designing his hat."

* * *

Making a hat that curved around a headset was awkward, and Ellie wasn't even the one constructing the hat. She hadn't even been able to help design the hat over the next few hours. Or day. Time passed weirdly when one took a nap after an all nighter. The time was hard to tell when one was in space, and so the clock in her room served it's use well. Sadly, it did not show the date, and she had absolutely no idea how long she'd been clonked out for. Fitting on her clothes and placing her top hat on her head, she strolled out of her room. Henry's room was empty - of course, the other was probably taking the hat to Charles right now. She figured that it'd be done by now.

Down the stairs, more stairs, a hallway here and there, and she wound up nearly bumbling into Reginald and his Right Hand Man. "Ah, Ellie! What a surprise to see you up and about this early!" The ex leader said, waving one of his gloved hands. "You look well rested. I take your expedition went well, from what Right Hand Man told me." The half mechanized man nodded his head, attesting to Reginald's claim.

"It went good, we grabbed the right guy for sure. Now it's just a matter of convincing him to join us." Ellie's gaze fell down to the files that Reginald was holding. "What are those about?" She pointed with a finger to the files, other hand gently tapping her top hat back to a comfortable position.

"Er," Reginald briefly stammered, gloves gently tapping against the edges of the faint yellow files. "Me and my Right Hand Man are planning a... a solo heist, yes! Between the two of us!" A hand brushed against his mustache, nodding his head to add confirmation to his words.

Right Hand Man gently applied his organic hand against his face, grumbling out a mechanized sigh. "Way to go, Reg," he said with a slow shake of his head. "We'll finish with it tonight, take it to your desk. See y' round." With that he took one of Reginald's hands in his own, and led the flabbergasted Toppat away.

Ellie couldn't keep herself from smirking, giving a small shake of her head. Never did she consider herself to be mushy enough to fall into a blushing and stumbling mess. Down one last set of stairs, and she'd arrived in the brig. There Henry was, and Charles was finally free from his cell. "You're really gonna put the hat on without me being here?" She announced her presence as she strode over, causing for Henry to jump and nearly topple over. A quick glance allowed her to note that Charles' hands were still bound.

"Hey." Charles' voice was weak, and Henry's head pivoted back to the captive pilot. "I just finished telling Henry that I think I'll give, um, that I'll give Toppat life a try for a bit. I can't guarantee I'll stay but, but I- I figured it'd be worth a shot." His face turned red when Henry leaned over, gently placing a kiss on the other's head.

Ellie moved closer, taking her stance next to the Toppat clan's leader. "As long as you don't sell us out if you go. I'll hunt you down again," she threatened. It was supposed to be mocking, even if Charles' expression was mortified. A broken laugh came from Henry, him wrapping an arm around her for just a moment. His other hand held Charles' top hat. Gold and red with small touches of black, just like the other's headset. ' _Color coordination,_ ' Henry had insisted to be one of the most important features of the top hat. He placed it on Charles' head, and Ellie pulled the key from her pocket to free the other's hands. "Looks good." A thumbs up followed her words, a small laugh coming from the new recruit.

' _Watch sunrise?_ ' Henry offered, gently taking one of Charles' newly freed hands in his own, and then reaching over for Ellie's. She grabbed the other's hand back. When Charles nodded, the trio left the brig behind, ascending up the stair case.

Ellie had to say that yes, this was the most calming thing to happen to her in the past few months. The leader of the world's largest criminal organization had his hand in her's. On the other side, a reluctant pilot began to fidget with his hat to secure it around his headset. She could not keep the smile from her face. This, this was a life that she could get used to.


End file.
